Kundadri is a hill (826 mt) with dense forests in the Western Ghats located in

Shimoga District Shimoga district, officially known as Shivamogga district, is a district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga district lies in the Malnad region or the Sahyadri. Shimoga city is its administrative centre. Jog Falls view po ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

State,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

.It is 70 km from

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

city. This hill is known for 17th century

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

temple dedicated to

Parshwanath ''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 ''Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru (Kalpavriksha in this "Kal ...

tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a 'ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable passag ...

and the place is known to have given shelter to ''Acharya Kundakunda'' during earlier centuries. The main deity of this temple is

Parshwanatha ''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 ''Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru (Kalpavriksha in this "Kal ...

, 23rd tirthankar. Two small ponds formed by the rock on one side of this temple provided water to earlier sages. Government of Karnataka joined hands with a philanthropist from Mumbai to construct an all-weather road to the top of the hill.

History

More than two thousand years ago, the greatest

Digambar ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...

Jain muni named ''Kundakunda Acharya'' stayed here and prompted the birth of this jain holy place. A temple is constructed with stone statues of jain sages. As the place is secluded, there has been efforts to damage stone statues to find hidden treasure.

Transportation

Kundadri is at a distance of about 80 km. from the district headquarters,

Shimoga Shimoga, officially known as Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of ...

and about 20 km from

Thirthahalli Thirthahalli is a panchayat town located in the Shimoga district of the state of Karnataka, India. It lies on the bank of the river Tunga and is also the headquarters of the Thirthahalli Taluk of Shimoga district. Geography Thirthahalli i ...

town. From Shimoga, one has to take the National Highway NH-13 (Thirthahalli road) to reach Thirthahalli. Then take State Highway SH-1 (Agumbe Road) up to Guddekeri and then take left deviation. The total distance from Bangalore to Thirthahalli is 332 km. From

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

, one can take NH-13 to reach Thirthahalli. The distance from Mangalore to Thirthahalli is around 146 km. There are numerous mini-buses from Udupi to Thirthahalli. From

Udupi railway station Udupi railway station is a railway station in Udupi district, Karnataka. Its code is UD. It serves the pilgrims visiting famous Krishna Matha (Krishna Temple) at Udupi and the university town of Manipal, which is south from the station and Udupi. ...

86 km to Thirthahalli. The nearest railway station is in Shimoga. The nearest airport is

Mangalore International Airport Mangalore International Airport , is an international airport serving the coastal city of Mangalore, India. It is one of the only two international airports in Karnataka, the other being Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore. Mangalore ...

. File:Sculpture_in_Kundadri_Jain_Temple4.JPG, Sculpture File:Kundadri_Jain_Temple_Inside_View.JPG, Inside View File:Sculpture_in_Kundadri_Jain_Temple3.JPG, Sculpture File:Kundadri_Jain_Temple_Wide_View_with_Lake.JPG, Wide View File:Kundadri_Jain_Temple_Flowers.JPG, Temple File:Kundadri_Jain_Temple_Sunset_View.JPG, Sunset View File:Sculpture in Kundadri Jain Temple1.JPG, Jain Temple File:Sculpture in Kundadri Jain Temple.JPG, Jain Temple

References

{{reflist Mountains of Karnataka Jain temples in Karnataka 17th-century Jain temples Buildings and structures in Shimoga district Geography of Shimoga district

History

Transportation

See also

References